Karl Rove says it remains to be seen what Palin's future has in store.

(CNN) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's rock-star status could solidly position her to lead the Republican Party in four years, but former top Bush aide Karl Rove said the "marketplace of ideas" will ultimately decide her political future.

"Republicans believe in markets, so the marketplace of ideas will decide what the answer [to her future] is," Rove told NBC Tuesday. "These people are going to get out there, campaign, offer their ideas, offer themselves."

Palin has declined to say whether she is officially interested in seeking the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, but has left open the possibility. Palin's popularity among the party's base and firmly established name-recognition would likely mean instant top-tier status should she decide to throw her hat into the ring.

But ultimately, Rove said, Republicans need more time to get to know Palin before embracing her as the party's future.

"Remember she was on the stage for nine weeks in the general election - that’s not a lot of time," he said. "Now we are going to get to a chance see her over a longer period of time."

soundoff(819 Responses)

Jon

I agree with Dan, why all the hate? I feel all warm and fuzzy about Palin now that she's been sent back to Alaska. There's still a lot of buzz about her, but that's fading, and in a few years she'll just be an unpleasant memory.

December 2, 2008 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

Henry Miller, Cary, NC

Quoth "Blue is my favourite colour:" "Sarah Palin is an old republican relic. Four years into the future, we will be more evolved then we are in this cycle. If she thinks she will be viable even after the innauguration of Obama, she's wrong.

The only saving grace that the republicans have is to get rid of their religious right, anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-ignorance and fear mongering..."

Couldn't have said it better myself–in fact, I wish I had.

Somewhere along the line, the Republican Party got hijacked by people like Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, "Christian extremists," differing only in details and degree–and not a whole lot of that–from the kinds of madmen who attacked Mumbai and blinded some Afghan schoolgirls for daring to try to get an education.

The "religious right" is a scary bunch–almost as scary as the "Islamic right," or any other group of self-righteous, unreasoning, fanatics. All the justification they need to inflict, perhaps violently, their life styles on anyone is a delusion that their mythical god told them to do it–and who, among the so deluded, is going to argue with a god? Such people, sure in their own rightness, are conscienceless–they, in their own minds, can do no wrong.

December 2, 2008 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

dt

Response to John,
We are fully aware that the GOP doens't care what any of us think, except for radical, extremist religionistas. Just look at the last 8 years and the most recent campaign and it's results. Go Obama!

December 2, 2008 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

Niki

Last I heard lying can get you impeached. (Ask Bill Clinton). He lied about adultery–no real harm done, just to his marriage. Bush, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice, Powell, all lied about WMDs, and this has cost the country dearly. We have lost thousands of American lives, innocent Iraqi's and the financial strain on the country has only begun to rear its head. Thet should all be tried for lying. Even after being told by the UN inspectors that there were no weapons in Iraq, Bush still declared war. They had NOTHING to do with Sept. 11, 2001. Please stop making light of this. This is a serious crime. If you had lost a loved one due to this, you'd feel as strong as I do about this.

December 2, 2008 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

canadian pov

Nobody should care what Rove has to say about Palin. We know how he masterminded to put another intellectual low volt into the White House and look what a disaster that was. My heart aches when I think about the mess that Bush & Co unleashed on this world. It was done by stupid men that were blinded by ambition and political opportunism with no regard for reasonable and sober governance. Palin is cut from that same cloth. Rove should be speaking to the prosecutors that should be appointed to hold him and his cronies (Bush & Cheney included) responsible for their crimes against humanity.

Remember this - hundreds of thousands of innocent lives weren't lost, the economy didn't tank nor did anti-americanism spread around the world because Ms. Lewinsky spent an afternoon or two pleasing the president.

December 2, 2008 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

Independent_me

"Marketplace of ideas..."
hmmmm... well, that disqualifies Sarah Palin from every winning the White House. Her "ideas" consisted of mud-slinging, winking, dividing the country and lying about her opponent.
America has moved waaaaay beyond the Rovian politics of the past.

Except with the staunch republican base who does not care about ideas. They only care about ideology.

December 2, 2008 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

Nick

In the "marketplace of ideas" this today's Plain contribution.

“When much of the economic problem that we are facing today perhaps was caused by too much debt, that solving those problems will not come from incurring more debt so we do have some concerns about these. This is going to be a matter of re-prioritizing federal dollars though and putting them to use in the wisest fashion for taxpayers, for constituents.”

Deep thinker that one.

December 2, 2008 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

carol

Does anybody really care what Rove thinks?

Also who cares about Palin?

December 2, 2008 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

tom

Please, Sarah...please, please please run for President in 2012! We really hope you get the nomination! We support you for the nomination all the way!

Signed,
The DNC

December 2, 2008 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

Len

Dear Suburban Sue,

I cannot agree with more! Excellent.

December 2, 2008 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

ben

Why not and have Rush Limbraugh as her running mate.
In all honesty; you've got to be kidding me.

December 2, 2008 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

Jeff M.

Well, i guess she loses then if it's a "marketplace of ideas".
This woman has no idea what the hell is really going on in the real world.
Pretty obvious when you can't even name one news source that you get your info from.
Oh yeah, that's a "gotcha question."

December 2, 2008 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

Nathan

All the people on this board referring to "bitter liberals" make me laugh. We're not bitter. We won, remember?

December 2, 2008 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

BKrause

Why anyone in their right mind would even consider this apocalypse of mediocrity as taking center stage under any circumstances is the clearest indicator of how low the GOP has sunk.

December 2, 2008 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

Debbie

In 4 years she will be almost 50 ... once the "hot" factor is reduced, so will America's interest in her. I still haven't heard a coherent, constructive thought issue from her mouth. It's still the same GOP "fear fear and more fear" crud they've heaped on America over the years and which finally spilled over and and smothered them. If she can reinvent herself into someone smart...I'll consider her. Until then she's a flash in the pan.

December 2, 2008 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

James

She attracks th BASE and thats all! She is polorizing. She is trailer trash. She was knocked up when she got married, like mother like daughter!

Her future is at the "Base" and nothing more! She will NEVER moderiates to cross over, and thats what it takes!

Rove, Palin, go away once and for all!

December 2, 2008 04:56 pm at 4:56 pm |

fefe

the republicans are soar losers, yall mad, because you're all eating President Obama's dust, Get over it. and to all of fox news God don't like ugly, so you can't mess with his people. I'm wondering greta on fox must really think she the stuff, she looks like a man dressed as a woman and she has the audacity to talk about my new President woman please, and oreilly if you do read this email, watch keith oberman you might learn something.

December 2, 2008 04:56 pm at 4:56 pm |

Jim in OC

kristi December 2nd, 2008 4:19 pm ET

I have come across dumb comments in the message boards. But none dumber than kristi .

Wonder where these kind of people got their education (Provided she has any)

She sounds dumber than Gov.Palin

December 2, 2008 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

COL STRANGE

ROVE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A VIETNAM DRAFT DODGER, JUST
LIKE ALL THE OTHER REPUBLICANS, WHY DOES CNN GIVE
HIM AND THE HILLBILLY PALIN SO MUCH FACE TIME?

December 2, 2008 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

Larry from Mpls

Can we drop Sarah noise for a while?

We're still 5+ weeks away from the person the country elected

December 2, 2008 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

Bev

Palin is the best the Republicans have to offer? Really? Palin needs to go back to Alaska and address the problems in that state. Let's see if the people in her state are even interested in re-electing her. This is not about being mean-spirited. It's about having the most intelligent of individuals lead our country. Palin is an opportunist. The woman can't string two coherant sentences together. IThat's not being mean-spirited; that's what she has shown. If Palin is the look of the Republican Party, and if Karl Rove still has any credibility among them, it is a sad party, indeed.

December 2, 2008 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

Douglas, Los Angeles California

It's amazing how the Republicans are always willing to put into office the most uneducated, war-mongering, hate-speaking, nation-dividing, lying-tongue, type of people in the world. It baffles me how Americans can support such hateful candidates.

There have got to be willing, qualified, republicans out there who respect all Americans. Where are they?

December 2, 2008 04:58 pm at 4:58 pm |

Emma

Perhaps McCain will make another run – without Palin. However if Palin enters the race her baggage will be well known.

December 2, 2008 04:58 pm at 4:58 pm |

tom

WOW Dan! We waited for 8 years for the repubs to stop the hatespeak....but they never did. The worst was during the 90's when the Clintons couldn't even walk out the door with a republican led witch hunt. Aren't you lucky you had a congress full of repubs who let W go from disaster to disaster? Look what you and your cronies have done to this country. Discraceful.....you republicans should be ashamed of yourselves! But wait....you are incapable of ideas without ideology.

December 2, 2008 04:58 pm at 4:58 pm |

E Berlin

One has to ask what the effect might be of the years of the Obama presidency. If he succeeds in redefining the presidency as the management of the marketplace of pragmatic ideas then I think the appeal of Palin will dramatically shrink. I can't see her every really being a policy wonk. I believe she can only soar in an environment where the culture wars are still important. I hope that's not the case. I hope that NOT because it will keep her out of politics because it will mean we will all have grown up a bit and are working on problems rather than just screaming at each other.